Photo Magic

So... I was sitting here daydreaming about babies a couple weeks ago when I realized it's been a while since I've check in with our adoption agency. When I started checking dates, I was startled to realize we've been waiting for a year and a half already. I called the agency to see if there was anything we should be doing to encourage more activity with our portfolio. Do we need more pictures? Do we have too many? Has anyone seemed even remotely interested in picking us? Hmm. It was a pretty depressing phone call.

Our portfolio is fine, according to the director. Sure, we could start advertising in the newspaper and on the internet. We could make flyers and distribute them to local churches, clinics, high school guidance councilors...yadda. I just might do that; but there was a more pressing concern. The director reminded me that our home study was going to expire soon. YIKES! Were they ever going to call and warn us??? It's a darn good thing I checked in with them when I did.

The agency sent us a packet of forms to fill out (check), all of us had to visit the doctor and get certified as "healthy" (check), we needed to contact all of our friends that we had asked to give recommendations on our behalf and get an updated statement that they still recommend us as potential parents (check), we needed to submit an updated candid family portrait... uh oh. Not check.

I'm the photographer in the family, so any photos that include me are few and far between. Crud! No time to arrange for a formal family sitting at the local Sears or MotoPhoto...we needed to get our packet in by yesterday so there would be enough time to schedule the social worker before our home study expires next month.

John says, "Can't you just whip something up on the computer?" Well...yes. Yes I can! I flipped through all the recent photos of Tyler and John to see if there were any good candidates. I decided this photo was a good option. Enough space to insert me without too much pain.

This was from our recent outing to PetSmart. If you've been following along, that was the day we got Tyler's new pet fish. We were all wearing matching shirts that day. Cute! Now, I just needed a photo of me, wearing my shirt, from roughly the same perspective and in the same location as the boys (our front steps). I got changed and eagerly awaited John's arrival home from work. As it got later, I began to worry about light. If the sun went down, we would have another problem. John arrived shortly after 5 and I hustled him outside to snap some photos.

He got the following reasonably acceptable shot of me.

OK! Now a bit of photo magic... HOCUS POCUS!

Uh oh. What's wrong with this picture? Yep. Because of the different times of day, the boys look tan and/or shady and I look super pale and sunlit. Damn! Time to monkey with the hue, highlights, midranges...*tinker tinker* OK. How did I do?

Hmm. Well, it still looks a little wonky, but I ran with it. What do you think?

Me: A 50 year old frustrated genius living in the 'burbs. Life: SAHM with 2 sons and a great husband. Health: Endometriosis, Spinal Arthritis, Fat, Anemic, Prone to Depression. Other: Adopted, Old School Geek, SF fangirl, Photography Hobbiest.
Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart - but in it.
--- Fleur Conkling Heylinger